Undertale: Days in the Sun
by AmberTheCritic
Summary: After finally being freed from the underground, monsters (as well as humans) adjust to a new life on the surface: both the good times and the bad. (One-shots and short stories of the monster fam in action) (Kinda sorta sequel of "Undertale: A New Day") (T rating because there's probably gonna be some angst thrown in for good measure, so get excited, y'all).
1. Cooking with Toriel

Day rolled onto her side for the fifth time, letting out a long sigh. She was no more comfortable than before, and no more tempted by sleep, as much as she wanted to be.

With a feeble groan, she sat up in bed and rubbed at her eyes. Brie, her stuffed mouse toy, tumbled onto the floor with a soft plop. The clock beside Day's bed read 6:30, and sure enough, she could just begin to see a sliver of light peeking through the closed blinds of her window.

Day made another pitiful groan, but seeing as she wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon, decided to make the most of her early start. She threw her legs over the side of the bed, then with the silence of a child who knew they weren't supposed to be up yet, began to creep towards the bedroom door.

Poking her head into the hallway, Day was met with darkness. To her left, Sans' bedroom door was cracked open slightly, and to the right, Papyrus' was closed.

She tiptoed towards the stairs, but had to squint suddenly. Light poured out into the living room from the kitchen, bathing the area in a warm yellow.

 _Who else is up?_ she wondered, her drowsiness momentarily overcome by curiosity. Hand gliding across the rail as she walked, Day tiptoed downstairs, halting in her tracks at the slightest creak or squeal of the well-used wood.

Stopping just outside the kitchen's doorway, Day glanced over at the living room. It was filled with large boxes and various furniture items, gathered in clusters at random spots along the room. The only things that seemed somewhat in place were the television, the television stand, and the old green couch. For once Sans wasn't spread out across the cushions, snoring soundly.

Finally, Day decided to answer the question on her mind— holding her breath in order to stay absolutely silent, she slowly peered into the kitchen.

Toriel stood at one of the countertops, humming to herself while she worked on something unseen. A faint flicker of light drew Day's eyes to the stove, where a small white fire lapped gently at the edges of a skillet.

"My, aren't you up early?"

Day jumped a bit, not expecting to be caught so easily. Toriel only laughed at her reaction.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she assured, turning to her in full. She wiped her hands off on a white apron tied at her waist, which resulted in a momentary puff of white powder, "Is there something you need, dear?"

Day shook her head, "No, I was just… I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."

"Oh? Is everything alright?"

"Mm-hm," she said with a nod, "I'm just not tired."

Toriel made a little sound of amusement, "Is that so? After all the excitement of moving in? I'm impressed… you may even have more energy than Papyrus!"

Day smiled, "I don't think so."

"Well, I'm just making breakfast… would you like to help me?"

Day nodded again, "I can try."

Toriel helped her to get situated, bringing a small stool over to the counter so that Day had a boost, in order to be able to see the top.

"Please watch the pancakes for me," Toriel instructed, "When the edges are dry and you see little bubbles forming on the top, let me know. Alright?"

"Okay."

While Toriel returned to a different countertop, Day remained on resolute watch, determined not to fail. She was almost fully awakened by this point, but part of her still longed to crawl back into bed. The wafting smell of baking pancakes swirled around her, threatening to lull her into drowsiness once again.

Toriel resumed humming, the quiet notes intermingling with the steady sizzle of the batter and an occasional tink of a whisk against the bowl.

Day smiled with a steady breath, simply enjoying the peacefulness.

Then she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

She quickly turned her eyes back to the skillet, and breathed an audible sigh of relief when she saw that it hadn't erupted into flames, quite yet.

"I think it's done," she alerted.

Toriel set down her mixing bowl, joining her at the oven.

"I would say so," she agreed, taking up a spatula she had set aside. In a single motion, she flipped the pancake over, causing a massive spike in sizzling.

"We'll let that sit a moment. For now…" Toriel trailed off, recollecting the bowl, "Would you like to try stirring?"

Sudden flashbacks of "cooking" with Undyne came to mind, but Day held her tongue. Surely Toriel wouldn't urge her to be quite so… violent.

"Okay."

Toriel set the bowl and whisk on the counter for her, then walked to the fridge to search for something.

Day did her best to stir the goopy mixture, albeit a bit slowly, as to avoid splattering it everywhere— Toriel had made it look easy.

"How have you been feeling?" Toriel asked her, "Is anything giving you trouble?"

Day knew what she meant, "Not really."

"Your sides?"

"… They're okay," she downplayed, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"And your nose?"

There was no lying on this one, "It hurts once in a while. But only if I accidentally touch it or something."

"Hm." Toriel took a green bowl from the fridge, glancing over, "Don't worry, it will all heal with time. The bruise on your neck has finally gone away, has it not?"

Subconsciously, a hand went up to feel the area, and Day nodded silently.

"Mm-hm."

She returned her attention to her whisking, until she heard a dull chopping; Day glanced over at Toriel again and made a surprised sound.

Toriel appeared to be cutting strawberries, but the fruits themselves were almost neon pink, sporting bright purple spots where the seeds should have been.

"Are those real?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Oh—well, yes and no," Toriel replied, "They are _real,_ but perhaps not the sort you're used to. They're magical strawberries."

The puzzled look on Day's face prompted Toriel to explain, "You see, monsters normally can't handle the same physical food that humans and animals eat. Take Sans and Papyrus, for example; they're nothing but bones! What would happen if they tried to eat something like a real strawberry?"

"It would go right through them?"

"Exactly. Magic food is much easier for monsters to absorb into their bodies."

Day vaguely remembered something that Sans had told her, "But doesn't magic come from monsters?"

"It does, yes."

"So… where does magic food come from?"

Toriel uttered a laugh, suddenly feeling very old.

"Oh, that's an ancient story," she commented, returning to the stove once more to remove the pancake from its skillet, "As far as we know, long ago when the first monsters appeared alongside humans, they weren't nearly as physical as monsters are, today. They needed to find a way to strengthen their bodies, which were almost purely magical energy. So, some of the wisest monsters were able to make… let's call them "copies" of many of the seeds that humans used to grow food. Thus, monsters grew their own "magical" versions of food that they could eat, while at the same time slowly exposing themselves to the nutrients of the earth, in order to become stronger."

She held out a hand, and Day passed the bowl of batter to her.

"It's a bit different with things like milk and eggs," Toriel continued, "Those I'd imagine were a bit harder to recreate, but someone managed it! From then on, families would pass down vials of the magical substitute, and need to replicate it with their own magic. It can be tiring, but I'd say it's well worth it."

Day just listened curiously, almost feeling like she should have been taking notes.

"You said that monsters have more physical bodies than they used to?" she questioned.

Toriel nodded, "That's right. It's said that when monsters first arrived on earth, they were nothing but clouds of magic with no clear shape to them. Over time, they became what you see now." To emphasize her point, Toriel reached over and gave Day a gentle bop on the nose.

She giggled, feeling the fluffy powder rub off onto her.

"Of course, some monsters are a bit more physical than others," Toriel went on to add, "Usually it's a family line or two—it's very rare to find, nowadays."

"Boss monsters?" Day ventured.

Toriel blinked, a bit surprised.

"Yes, that is a name for them," she confirmed, "Since their bodies are more physical, they can hold a little bit of human food— but usually it's something that their ancestors have eaten, giving their bodies time to adapt to it. For example: I've tried a few human foods here and there, but the only ones I've ever seemed to gain an affinity for are mushrooms and snails."

Day reflexively wrinkled her nose, but quickly hid the expression, deeming it rude.

"Sorry."

Toriel just laughed, "They're not as bad as they sound, dear. So long as they're prepared right… I'll have to let you try them, someday."

 _There's no hurry,_ Day silently assured.

"But from what I have heard, humans can't live solely off of monster food." Toriel flipped the half-baked pancake, "They need a much more physical diet. So, I've made sure that you have plenty of real food to choose from— and you won't have to share with anyone!"

Day couldn't help but smile, heart swelling in her chest at the simple gesture.

"Thank you, Miss Toriel."

Her hair was ruffled lovingly, "Of course, my child." Toriel stepped away from the counter, "Now, you can sit at the table if you'd like— we've all got a busy day of unpacking to do, so I'm getting the boys up bright and early."

Day stepped off the stool, only to climb into a chair at the kitchen table. Toriel had already walked off, and Day could hear the receding squeaks of the wooden stairs as they were climbed.

 _I wonder how easily it'll be for her to wake Sans up,_ she wondered off-handedly, remembering the afternoon she found him curled up on the couch and refusing to budge. Even Papyrus had barely been able to stir him— though Sans could've just as easily been messing with him.

Day laughed at the image in spite of herself, starting to feel her own drowsiness return. Figuring she would just rest her eyes a moment, she crossed her arms on the wooden table and laid her head down atop them.

She'd just sit like this for a second or two. No longer than that.

Just a second.

…

Day was sound asleep only moments after her eyes slid shut.

* * *

 _ **Thank you for taking the time to read! I'd appreciate any feedback you have- that's what keeps me writing! ^-^**_


	2. A Round Table Discussion

"— I mean, just think of it like water," Sans explained, "Things can float in water, right?"

Day nodded, "Mm-hm."

"Same thing can happen with the air. Everything's just molecules moving at different speeds— gases have molecules that move a whole lot faster and have a lot more space between them than liquids do. So it's easier to make things float in water than it is in air— there's a lot less things that are less dense than air."

"Dense?"

"Means like… uh." He blanked for a second, "Like— like, a rock is denser than a sponge. Lots more stuff packed into one place."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, back to balloons— you fill 'em with helium because helium is a lot less dense than the stuff that makes up the air— oxygen and carbon dioxide and nitrogen and all that jazz. Air's heavier, helium's lighter, force of the air wanting to displace the balloon is stronger than gravity wanting to bring it down, so the balloon floats. Make sense?"

Day blinked, having lost track of the explanation midway through.

Sans chuckled, offering a shrug.

"Eh, forget about it," he said, "I'm not much of a science teacher."

"You're okay," Day assured, "I think it's just too smart for me to get."

Sans' vibe changed immediately, and his smile faltered.

"Hey, now don't be like that. It's complicated stuff—" His grin returned, and he reached up to ruffle her hair, "You're still young. You can _kid_ around, instead."

Day laughed, trying to evade the gesture but failing.

 _"Stoooop,"_ she mock pleaded, bangs now obscuring her vision, "Don't— I'll have to ask Papyrus to _shave_ me from you!"

Sans laughed once, then proceeded to hit her in the arm with one of the couch's pillows.

"That's your best pun _sofa."_

Day's mind rushed to come up with another.

"Um…"

She groaned, "I can't think of any more!"

Sans stood and began to cross the room, "Aw man, that's so sad…"

He proceeded to plop down in Toriel's chair, then grinned in satisfaction.

"… I really do _charish_ them."

Day giggled, but Sans wasn't nearly done, yet.

"Don't worry— you'll get _bedder_ eventually. _Chair_ up. Believe in your _shelf."_

Laughing, Day was unable to hear Toriel calling them from within the kitchen. Assuming as much, Toriel poked her head into the living room, smiling at the scene.

"Dinner, you two," she repeated, "I hope you are not roughhousing _too_ much."

"Try telling her that," Sans replied, gesturing towards Day, "Kid's over here causing mass chaos."

Toriel chuckled, "Oh I'm sure she is."

"Papyrus tried to help you out cooking, didn't he?"

"He did."

"And how'd that turn out?"

Toriel gave Sans a quick smirk, knowing what he meant.

"Your brother was very helpful," she assured emphatically.

Sans snickered, "Uh-huh."

Toriel returned to the kitchen, so Sans unwillingly vacated the chair, and Day slid off the couch to follow him.

She winced for a moment as weight was put on her leg, but it faded just as quickly as it had come.

"You good?"

Her hair bounced with a nod, "Mm-hm."

"Cool— didn't wanna have to carry you there royal escort-style."

The two made their way to the kitchen, where Papyrus was helping Toriel set the table. He was wearing a pink apron adorned with yellow flowers— frankly, it suited him.

"Hey bro," Sans greeted, "The kitchen's still in one piece— that's nice."

"Very funny, Sans!" Papyrus answered sarcastically, "I'll have you know that not all cooking requires unexpected kitchen remodeling!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes! Sometimes it can be very relaxing and calm and not at all destructive!" He looked back to Toriel, "Isn't that what you said?"

Toriel nodded with a smile, setting a plate of bread down on the table.

"That's right, dear."

"Sounds good to me," Sans commented, taking a seat, "We'll save the house fires for Day to start."

Toriel's eyes flew up, "House fires?"

Day felt her cheeks flush, "Um—"

"That's right!" Papyrus confirmed, "She set Undyne's house on fire one time, when they were cooking together!"

"Um, that's not—"

"I mean hey," Sans interrupted, "Undyne's done plenty of "remodeling" at our place, so it evens out."

Toriel gave Day a confused expression, and the child smiled meekly.

"I'm. Um. Not very good at cooking, I guess."

It was met with a chuckle, and Toriel reached over to pat her head lovingly.

"Don't worry— there's plenty of time to learn, my child."

The four took their seats around the short rectangular table: the brothers sat beside one another, and Day beside Toriel.

"Now, I hope all you like this," Toriel told them, "It's an old recipe I found… Day, there's a few more vegetables in yours. Hopefully it'll put you on the mend a little faster."

"You kidding?" Sans offered a wink, "She could take down another garden of evil flowers right here, right now."

The monsters laughed. Day pretended to do the same.

They each had a bowl set before them, and Day peered down at it curiously. It seemed to be a stew of some sort. She recognized a few of the vegetables: potatoes, celery, carrots. But many were completely foreign to her, most likely monster-grown variations: a leafy yellow vegetable that looked almost like lettuce, small purple slivers of what almost resembled onions, and small, star-shaped things reminiscent of peas.

"Miss Toriel? What are these called? The star ones?"

"Mm? Oh—those are Star Peas, dear."

"Monsters are surprisingly uncreative when it comes to naming almost anything!" Papyrus added.

Day took an experimental taste of the stew— it was spicy. But not unbearably so. It instantly warmed her to her core. She wasn't too surprised; of course it was going to be good. Toriel had made it, after all.

After a minute, Toriel spoke up, "How has the moving in been going, you two?"

"We're almost done!" Papyrus answered enthusiastically, "There's just a few more things left to bring here, and then we can stop going back underground for good!"

"We'll probably end up finishing by tomorrow or something," Sans furthered, currently levitating his spoon for the fun of it.

"That's wonderful!" Toriel replied, "Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you along."

Sans held up a hand, "Nah, you— you've done a whole lot, already. Me and Pap can handle it fine."

Papyrus gave his brother a look, "But didn't you say that it gets really tiring, having to teleport back and forth to—"

"It's fine, bro," Sans interrupted with a subtle urgency, but recovered, "Haven't worked myself to the _bone_ quite yet."

Toriel covered her mouth to chuckle, and Papyrus groaned.

"Sans, _please_ no puns at the table!"

"Why not? Am I getting under your skin?"

" _SANS."_

Day hid her giggling alongside Toriel, who was careful not to show favoritism to either's side.

"Hey, uh— I forgot I was gonna ask earlier," Sans changed the subject, turning to Toriel, "I was wondering if uh… you had something specific in mind for what'll go in the basement space, here."

She shook her head, "I don't. Why? Would you like to use it for something?"

He seemed hesitant, "I mean, I just kinda figured. I have a few things back at ho—" Sans stopped, then corrected himself, "Back in Snowdin. Just stuff I wanna store somewhere: books and junk."

"You're more than welcome to store them here, if you'd like. It would be much easier than having to go back and forth to the underground, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah." Sans paused, "Uh, thanks. Ma'am."

She smiled kindly, "Just Toriel, dear."

Sans shifted awkwardly in his seat, and Day did her best not to stare. He was acting… strange.

Papyrus, however, was not one to keep those thoughts to himself.

"Sans, you are acting funny," he commented, "A very quiet and polite sort of funny—that's very weird for you!"

Sans elbowed his brother in the ribs, "Pap, come on man—"

Day couldn't help but grin, and did her best to hide it behind her soup spoon.

"Do you like it, dear?" Toriel asked, gesturing to the soup.

Day nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"Be sure to eat lots of it, Day!" Papyrus advised, "It'll make you grow up big and strong— like me!"

 _I wish._

"I don't know," Day responded quietly, "I don't think I can be as tall as you."

"You never know," Sans argued, "Don't be so _short-sighted."_

Day laughed, and he continued, "Think it'll work for me?"

"It doesn't count if the thing you're eating a lot of it greasy, unhealthy food!" Papyrus replied quickly.

"Aw, you sure?"

"Yes I am sure!" he said adamantly, "It has to be nutritious!"

"Come on, Grillby's is plenty nutritious—and speaking of which, I ran into the hothead when we were back in Snowdin."

Day perked up, "Is he okay?"

"Yeah yeah, he's cool. I mean, not _cool,_ with the fire and all—" Papyrus groaned in exasperation, "—but yeah. His kids were out playing in the snow. You seen them before?"

"Ember? And Heats Flamesman?"

"Yeah," Sans confirmed, "Those two. I can never get down the little guy's name for the life of me… Anyway, Grillz said he snagged a place up here. He's looking for somewhere to set up shop before Lavinia can get it first." He winked, grinning slyly, "I went ahead and offered up the house. Hope that's not a problem."

 _"Sans you did not!"_

He cackled at Papyrus' horrified tone, momentarily dropping the spoon he was floating.

"Oh is that so?" Toriel commented, a sly sort of smile of her own, "If one of your friends needs assistance, I'd be more than happy to—"

Immediately, Sans' laughter halted, and he looked embarrassed.

"No no, he's—" He shook his hands in enthusiastic defense, quickly backpedaling, "I was just messing around. He'd probably roast me over an open flame if I tried to do that; wouldn't be the first time, either."

Toriel just chuckled, "I see."

"Besides, Grillby's a tough dude— knowing him, he's gonna be running this town in a few weeks. Just you wait and see."

Day bit back a smile at Sans' flustered reaction. A gentle kick under the table from his puffy slipper let her know that she hadn't hidden the expression well enough.

"Speaking of which," Toriel continued, cutting a piece of bread for herself, "How are your other friends doing? Have you been staying in touch with them?"

"Ooh! I have!" Papyrus answered excitedly, "Undyne is doing very well! Every human she's met has been _terrified_ of her! She's very proud!"

Toriel's smile was noticeably strained.

"Oh…?"

"She says she's doing her best to be extra intimidating, to keep it a perfect record!"

"Oh… dear…"

Sans chuckled, "Asgore'll keep her out of trouble." As an afterthought, he added, "He'll try to, anyway."

"I'm sure."

"We're probably not gonna be seeing Alphys for the next ten years or so," Sans told them, "She found a buncha websites we couldn't get, underground. Cartoons and stuff. So uh, that'll be her life from now on."

"She's been sending me a lot of pictures of them," Day added, "And other pictures with… um, weird captions on them?"

"You too, huh? Yeah— looked away from my phone for half a second and when I looked back, it was blowing up with them."

"Undyne says Dr. Alphys is afraid to go outside—" Papyrus uttered a quick "nyeh-heh" of disbelief, "I can't imagine why! Undyne wants to bring her out with us next time to explore—"

He stopped suddenly, "Oh! That reminds me! Day— you should come along with me and Undyne for our morning jog around the city! It's a very brief twenty-six miles, so I'm sure you could keep up!"

Day blinked.

"… um."

Toriel came to her rescue, "Papyrus dear, I think that might be a little too much for her to handle— she's still healing, after all."

"We could take turns carrying her!" he offered, "And she can be our training motivator! Normally it is me being the motivator for Undyne and her for me, but we would be even _more_ motivated if Day were there, too!"

"I don't know if I could be as good at motivation as you," she replied honestly.

"Perhaps not! But! That is what you could train on, while Undyne and I train our amazing and strong muscles!"

Day giggled, as did Toriel. She received an affectionate hair-ruffle from the goat woman, making her feel even warmer than the soup had.

It was nice to have a family meal again, after so long.

* * *

 _ **Thank you for taking the time to read! I'd appreciate any feedback you have- that's what keeps me writing! ^-^**_


	3. Nothing I Haven't Seen Before

Day's eyes drifted open, slowly.

And she sat bolt upright.

Flowers. Golden flowers. Everywhere.

Day stood up with a small shriek, scanning her surroundings. The flowers were centralized to a circle of light streaming in from above, while everything else remained marred by shadows. She squinted, but couldn't make out anything in the darkness.

She'd seen this before. Not long ago at all.

 _I'm… underground?_

Day's breath picked up, and she clutched her arm tightly. It wasn't the soft fabric of the nightgown she felt, but rather her sweater. Unstained, without tears in the knitting. Her black pants, her shoes…

 _This is wrong._

Her breathing became audible, and her fingers dug into her arm painfully. She spun around several times, hoping to find an answer.

 _This is wrong—why am I here?! Why am I alone?!_

"Hello?" she called out, her voice barely stronger than a squeak, "Hello?! Anybody?!"

Her voice didn't even echo. It was like the shadows stretched on endlessly, swallowing up the sound.

 _"Can anyone hear me?!"_ she cried, beginning to panic, _"Hello?! Please! Anyone—"_

"Day."

The voice was calm. And familiar.

Day whipped her head around to face the speaker, and almost collapsed to her knees.

Mere feet away, Asriel blinked back at her. His face didn't show any particular emotion—it was neutral, unmoving.

Day's shock paralyzed her. But only for a moment.

"… A… Asriel?" It came out in a choked whisper.

The neutral expression gave way to a meek, almost embarrassed smile. He waved tentatively.

"… Hi?"

She almost tripped with how violently she threw herself into motion, but in only seconds, Asriel has wrapped up tightly in Day's arms.

"ASRIEL!" she shrieked, on the verge of tears, "You're okay! You're not—but you're not—you're not Flowey!" She loosened her hold only slightly to look up at him, "I thought you said that without a soul—"

His smile had vanished. It wasn't completely neutral, either. He looked… afraid?

"Asriel? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"… Day. Why didn't you save me?"

Her heart clenched painfully.

Day stared back at him in shock, fully frozen to the spot. She tried to speak, but only a wordless breath of air came out.

"Why didn't you save me, Day?"

It was more sorrowful this time. Day felt a heat on the back of her neck, spreading to her cheeks.

"… I…"

She had nothing to say. Nothing.

"… But…" she tried further, a tremor already present in her voice, "Y-you said…"

The faintest sound caught her attention, and Day automatically searched for the source.

A gentle rustle had begun behind her, slowly growing closer. The flowers parted subtly as whatever was making the sound inched foward.

Day took a half a step back, staring at the parting flowers with equal confusion and fear.

A vine, thick and deep green, snaked its way through the flowerbed. It initially seemed to be coming towards her, but changed course at the last second in favor of—

"Asriel!" Day gasped, "Look out!"

He didn't move. More vines, from all different directions, were inching towards him at an alarming rate. One quickly snagged his leg, and more began to climb.

But Asriel didn't react to the threat. Instead, his eyes never left Day's.

"Why didn't you save me?"

Disregarding the vines, Day dashed over and grabbed hold of his arm, trying to pull him free of the ever-growing vines. He remained rooted to the spot by a combination of the plants as well as his own inaction.

"Asriel, hold onto me!"

His face became more sorrowful, eyes wide with terror. Tears began to form at the corners.

"I'm so lonely, Day."

She snagged his hand, squeezing so tightly that she knew it must be hurting him, but was not acknowledged.

"I'm so scared," he continued, lip quavering, "I—I just wanna go home…"

The vines had reached his waist, now. Horrible creaking, stretching sounds accompanied their invasion. Then, they began to pull against Day.

They began to pull _down._

"No no no—" Day clenched Asriel's hand even tighter, feeling her grip begin to give, "Asriel don't let go—you can't let go—"

He was pulled downwards. Down, into the earth. Slowly. Agonizingly.

 _"Asriel you have to fight back!"_ she insisted shrilly, _"You have to help me!"_

A vine wrapped around his shoulders. He sniffled.

"I—I want my mom!"

Day was shaking from adrenaline and fear. Her hands slipped briefly, but she latched onto Asriel's sweater, refusing to let him be taken away.

 _"Asriel!"_

"I'm so scared, Day! Why didn't you save me?!"

Tears blurred her vision, and her arms began to burn. Only the top half of his chest remained above ground. He never broke eye contact, even as the vines began to obscure his head from view.

"Why didn't you save me?!"

One of Day's hands slipped.

 _"Why didn't you save me?!"_

She was forced to let go.

With a sound like an avalanche, Asriel was pulled underground in a flurry of vines. The dirt flew up in a spray of pebbles and uprooted flowers.

And then, it was still. And silent.

Day's knees gave out. She started to dig furiously.

 _"ASRIEL!"_

Dirt was shoveled aside with her bare hands, thrown back with reckless abandon. She ignored the pain it caused her already aching arms, digging deeper and deeper.

There was no trace of Asriel, or the vines that had consumed him. It was just dirt.

When she hit the more compacted earth beneath, only lines of the soil could be clawed away, burying beneath her fingernails and refusing to be overturned.

Day's breathing only grew faster, becoming interrupted by horrible, wrenching sobs. Tears poured over onto the dirt with a hollow patter, but she didn't have the sense to try to stifle them.

Already on her knees, Day hunched over, forehead pressed into the earth. Her unsteady breaths came out like chokes, tightening her chest and making it even harder to breath.

"I'm—s—sorry—" The words were almost unintelligible, fighting everything else she uttered, "As—riel—"

"Day."

Her breathing halted completely.

…

 _… no._

 _… no, no._

It was not Asriel. But she knew who was speaking to her this time.

They were standing behind her. _Right_ behind her.

But Day could not bring herself to look.

"… Why didn't you save me, Day?"

Day unknowingly continued to hold her breath. It was silent.

…

The flowers were parted once again, this time retreating from her.

It made her shoot straight up, and Day whipped her head around so fast that it hurt.

For a moment, the figure could be seen, skipping off into the shadows.

Long brown hair bounced, stopping midway down the knitted, periwinkle blue poncho.

Day threw out a hand towards her. She screamed.

 _"WAIT! STELLA—"_

* * *

Day's eyes flew open. She sat bolt upright with a gasp.

A dark room. Bare walls. A bed.

Her bed.

The bedsheets were damp with sweat, as were the sleeves of her nightgown.

It was a dream.

… Another bad dream.

It came back to her quickly. Her cheeks scorched with renewed shame, and the tears sprung up to join them.

 _Day…_

She cringed, her breaths returning in short bursts.

Day grabbed hold of her sheets, throwing them over her head and curling into a ball, obscured from view. It was uncomfortably stuffy and hot.

A pillow was clutched, and she shoved her face into it to muffle the sounds.

And she continued to cry.

Alone.

* * *

 _ **Thank you for taking the time to read! I'd appreciate any feedback you have- that's what keeps me writing! ^-^**_


End file.
